It was a week of appeal-related decisions, both legal and political, that could have far-reaching implications.

House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz shocked Capitol insiders when they announced they would not appeal Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis’ ruling last week striking down the Legislature’s congressional map.

Instead, the legislative leaders want Lewis to let lawmakers wait until after the November elections — when Gaetz and Weatherford will no longer be in power — to redraw the Northeast and Central Florida districts at the heart of Lewis’ ruling.

Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored the pleas of gay couples and gay-rights advocates who won a first-of-its-kind ruling in Florida in a lawsuit challenging the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Bondi immediately filed a notice to appeal a Monroe County judge’s decision that found the voter-approved ban violates due process and U.S. constitutional protections against discrimination.

And former Gov. Charlie Crist, trying to make a comeback as a Democrat, enlisted Annette Taddeo to be his running-mate in what some consider a “two-fer” in his efforts to appeal to Latino and women voters, both blocs whose support is considered critical to Crist’s bid to overthrow Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

Appeal not so appealing

Lawyers for the Legislature, elections supervisors and the Department of State argued in court Thursday that it is too late in the election cycle to redraw the congressional districts deemed unconstitutional by Lewis.

Ballots have already been sent to overseas voters in advance of the Aug. 26 primaries, and recreating the districts would throw the entire election schedule out of whack, the lawyers insisted.

No wedding bells yet

In a ruling that mirrored decisions in other states striking down bans on same-sex marriages, Circuit Judge Luis Garcia on Thursday ordered Monroe County Clerk of Court Amy Heavilin to start giving out marriage licenses to couples of the same gender beginning Tuesday.

Garcia’s order would only apply in Monroe County, but Keys couples cannot start lining up to get wed, thanks to Bondi. She immediately filed a notice to appeal the decision, effectively putting a stay on Garcia’s order.

Heavilin’s lawyer Ron Saunders, a former state representative who once served as House Minority Leader, said she will not let any same-sex couples get married until the case is resolved.

That could be a while. Both sides expect the case, filed by two Key West bartenders who have been together for more than a decade, and/or a similar case filed in Miami-Dade County by six same-sex couples to wind up in the hands of the Florida Supreme Court and, some hope, possibly make it as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.

Who's Crist wooing?

Crist’s selection of Miami-Dade County Democratic party leader Taddeo was an unusual move from a candidate who still faces a primary.

But it’s another signal that Crist, who has refused to debate fellow Democratic candidate Nan Rich, is focused on the general election against Scott. Crist frequently points out that Scott and his backers have spent nearly $20 million bashing Crist and have pledged to spend $100 million to keep Scott in the governor’s mansion and Crist out of it.

Crist touted Taddeo as a working mother who runs a small business in Miami. Taddeo, 47, who was born on a U.S. military base in Colombia, also has served as chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party.

“She will make an excellent lieutenant governor because as a working mom she knows Florida families are struggling to pay their bills, raise their kids, and save for retirement — and because she believes, as I do, that all Floridians deserve a fair shot at success,” Crist said in a prepared statement.

But Rich, who has trailed in polls and raised relatively little money, took a shot at Crist, who served as a Republican governor before later becoming a Democrat.

“Because he’s been a lifelong Republican, Charlie Crist might be excused for not knowing that Democrats typically don’t choose a running mate until they win the nomination,” Rich, a former state Senate minority leader, said.

STORY OF THE WEEK: A Monroe County circuit judge rules that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It looks like a bunch of cockroaches that just got sprayed with Raid. They’re spinning around going nowhere fast.”

— Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan on “ganjapreneurs” attracted to Florida by a new law legalizing a strain of non-euphoric marijuana and by a proposed constitutional amendment — bankrolled by Morgan — that would allow doctors to order traditional medical marijuana for patients.

Last modified: July 18, 2014
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